John Butler, who helped build Buffalo's Super Bowl teams of the 1990s before becoming
general manager of the San Diego Chargers, died of cancer April 11th. He was
56. Butler died of lymphoma, his wife, Alice, said. He was diagnosed with lung
cancer on July 4, but that disease was in remission following his final chemotherapy
treatment in late January, she said. Butler began feeling ill again in
late February and doctors discovered lymphoma in his stomach, which spread to
his liver, pancreas, lungs and intestines.

"We were sure he had it beat,"
Alice Butler said, referring to her husband's lung cancer. "When he was feeling
ill again he said, 'Sometimes you just underestimate the strength of your
opponent.'"

Butler was a tough, sometimes gruff ex-Marine who was
considered one of the NFL's best talent evaluators. Hospitalized since March 13,
Butler remained passionate about his job until the end. Chargers coach Marty
Schottenheimer spent time with John Butler in his final days. "We were talking
about personnel, about the draft. Mentally, he was absolutely on top of everything,"
said Schottenheimer, hired by Butler in January 2002. "I did not sense any
anxieties at all. He was very much at peace. "He was the consummate football
guy," Schottenheimer said. "Football, after his family, was the thing that was
most important to him. We lost a giant here, both literally and figuratively."

A
native of Chicago, Butler spent four years in the Marines and saw
active duty in Vietnam. After his discharge, he enrolled at San Bernardino Junior
College, then went to the University of Illinois, where he played one season
on the offensive line before a knee injury cut short his playing career.

John
Butler was an imposing man who fought his cancer with gritty determination
and humor. Butler announced his lung cancer during training camp in late
July, saying doctors warned there would be physical changes during chemotherapy,
such as his hair falling out. Butler, who weighed more than 300 pounds, joked
that he'd look like Tim Dwight, the diminutive receiver who has a shaved head.
"Y'all won't know Timmy from me, will you?" Butler said. "We'll look like a couple
of twins out there."

Butler shaved his head, but otherwise tried
to divert attention away from his illness. He wanted no sympathy, saying he
hoped to be as brave and tough as others fighting cancer. He said his job was great
therapy. "Football saves me," Butler said the day he announced he had cancer.

Butler's
last public appearance was March 7, when the Chargers announced
the signing of wide receiver David Boston. Butler arrived late to the
news conference, coming straight from chemotherapy for the lymphoma.

Defensive
end Marcellus Wiley spoke by phone with Butler last week. "It's a sad
day, but I'd feel selfish if I was saddened in this day, after talking to him
last week and knowing that he was at peace," Wiley said. "Talking to him made
me feel like, OK, as always, he's leading the charge and he knows what he's doing."

John
Butler was a longtime smoker but said in July that his daughter,
Andrea, now 18, hounded him into stopping during the 2001 season.

In
Buffalo, former Bills special teams star Steve Tasker began to tear up
when talking about Butler. "We just didn't believe cancer could kill him," Tasker
said. "Today we got a slap in the face with reality. He's going to be missed."

Butler
died two weeks before one of his favorite times of the year,
the NFL draft. Assistant general manager A.J. Smith, a longtime friend and colleague
of Butler's, will be in charge of the team's draft.

John Beake,
an NFL vice president and former GM in Denver, remembered how Butler could
be intense yet friendly. "He gave you that bulldog impression, but he was always
very helpful," Beake said. "He was a straight-shooter and he had a big heart.
He loved the game."

Butler's first NFL job was as a scout for the
Chargers in 1985. He joined the Bills in 1987 as the personnel director, then became
the team's general manager in 1993. He was in Buffalo's front office for
all of its record four straight trips to the NFL championship game from 1991-94.
The Bills lost all of those Super Bowls. During his tenure there, the Bills went
to the playoffs 10 times and had a record of 140-83.

As Buffalo's
personnel director, he was known for finding big talent at small colleges, such
as wide receiver Don Beebe of Chadron State and defensive end Phil Hansen of
North Dakota. He drafted Wiley out of Columbia, then signed him as a free agent
after he'd taken over the Chargers in January 2001.

Butler built the
foundation for San Diego's offense by drafting running back LaDainian Tomlinson
and quarterback Drew Brees. San Diego went 5-11 and 8-8 in Butler's two seasons,
improving from 1-15 the year before Butler's arrival the Chargers now have
a foundation in place to become a major contender thanks to John Butler, who
sadly won't be around to see the seeds he planted bear fruit.